Text of the Divine Discourse
delivered by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 6th May 2005,
Easwaramma Day, at Kodaikanal

"When man is born out of his
mother's womb he has no garland of any kind around his neck.
Neither of pearls, nor gold, nor a string of gems nor a necklace
of topaz or of rubies or other precious gems can be seen even
for a sample. There is, however, a garland around his neck,
carrying the unbroken link of the effects of the good and bad
deeds of his past lives strung together by Lord Brahma."
(Telugu poem)

Embodiments of Love!
The love of the mother is nobler and supreme than the love of
all the friends and relatives in the world. The power of the
mother is unparalleled. That is why we are calling the native
country as Motherland. The country of Bharath is like our
mother. In this sacred land of ours, several types of energy
have been developing since ancient times. Great and holy men
like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda could acquire great
spiritual power only due to the strength of their mothers'
blessings. The sacredness of a mother's heart and the strength
of her blessings are unparalleled. But, unfortunately people are
unable to understand properly the love of a mother, not only in
our country but in every country.

It is a great sin to ignore the mother with such a divine power.
It is only to remind the people of the nobility and sacredness
of the mother that she has been given the foremost place in the
spiritual field, by exhorting people to worship the mother first
as God. It is said "Mathrudevo Bhava" (worship the mother
as God); "Pithrudevo Bhava" (worship the father as God);
"Acharyadevo Bhava" (worship the teacher as God); "Athithidevo
Bhava" (worship the guest as God). Thus the mother has been
given the first place in that order. It is only when we uphold
the honour and dignity of the mother that we will be entitled to
be called as true sons. The life of a person who could not win
the love of his mother is a mere waste. Hence, we must first
acquire the deservedness to win the love of the mother. No one
can describe the love of a mother in words. It is only by the
strength of a mother's will that a son would come up well in
life. Hence, one should respect and love his mother. She must be
given the pride of place. It is only such people that can really
lead the country. We may or may not worship other deities, but
we must certainly worship our mother as God. We should never
forget the love of our mother. The love of a mother is supreme.
It is only by the love of the mother that divine feelings
develop in the children. Where there is a mother of noble
qualities, there will surely be all kinds of peace and
prosperity. It is foolish to crave for the love of the people,
ignoring the love of one's own mother. One should, therefore,
revere and respect the mother. One should try to experience the
love of the mother.

The mother of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a noble lady. Even
in dire circumstances when she had no food and drink, she
developed unflinching faith and devotion to God and spent her
time engaging herself in cultivating noble thoughts and
performing noble deeds, thereby earning God's grace. It is only
when one respects his mother and wins her love, that he can be
called a human being in the real sense. There is no God greater
than one's mother in this world. Unfortunately, today people
forget this truth and go to different places in search of God.
Instead of craving for the unseen God, one should worship and
serve the living divinity that is right in front of him. Several
people undertake different activities like penance, pilgrimage
to holy places, worship and other rituals in order to have the
holy darshan of God, but they will be of no use. One cannot win
the grace of God without first winning the love of his mother.
The love of the mother flows as an undercurrent in every human
being. You go through the history of any great person; it is
obvious that they could reach such great heights in life only
with the help of their mother's love. When one leads his life in
accordance with his mother's noble thoughts, one will be
relieved of all kinds of suffering. One may or may not respect
any other person; but one must definitely respect one's mother.
One should dedicate his entire life to win the love of his
mother. The mother's love is always selfless. We must learn to
cultivate such love. Wherever you go, whoever you may see, you
can find that they have become prosperous only with the
blessings of their mother's love. If one cannot win the love of
his mother, how can he hope to win the grace of God? Hence,
first and foremost you must strive to win the love of your
mother. You should not undertake any work that will hurt the
feelings of your mother. The heart of a mother is very tender.
Therefore, one should not hurt the feelings of the mother.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was born in a very poor family. His
mother brought him up by begging for alms. Whatever little food
she could collect by begging in the streets, she used to feed
her son and herself go without food. After sometime, she became
very weak and her health failed. One day Ramakrishna enquired
his mother "Mother! Why did your health fail like this?" A
neighbouring lady replied to the question saying "Dear Son! Your
mother is sustaining you by begging in the streets. She gives
all the food collected to you and therefore goes without food
for herself. Please do not put such a mother who is an
embodiment of love, to suffering". From then on, Ramakrishna
took care to keep his mother hale and healthy. He used to feed
his mother first with the food collected from various houses in
the village and only then partake of the remaining quantity. By
doing so, he could win the grace of Mother Kali and have Her
Divine Vision.

The culture of Bharath has laid great stress on the teaching "Mathrudevo
Bhava" (Revere the Mother as God) and "Pithrudevo Bhava"
(Revere the father as God), more than all other aspects. A
person who could win the love of his mother can win everything
else. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa could earn the great name for
himself only because he could win the love of his mother. How
many great people are there in the state of West Bengal? How
many people of noble qualities, rich and educated are there?
But, they could not succeed in life due to lack of faith in God.
It is only Ramakrishna Paramahamsa could lead an ideal life by
loving his mother and obeying her commands, due to his implicit
faith and devotion in his mother. He used to teach people that
there is nothing greater and nobler in this world than mother's
love. The mother is God, verily. It is therefore, not good and
proper to hurt the feelings of the mother who is embodiment of
love. It is only when we develop love towards our mother, our
life will become happy and prosperous. Hence, first and
foremost, we must strive to win the love of our mother. Whatever
the mother does, is for our own good. We must develop such firm
faith. You take the history of any great person in this world,
he owes his greatness to his mother.

Students of the present time are unable to win their mothers'
love. The mother undergoes a great ordeal, she is even prepared
to undertake hard labour to earn a few rupees, to bring up her
children and educate them somehow. What a great sacrilege it is
to forget the love of such a noble mother! It is only a person
who could win the love of his mother that can earn God's love as
well. We are not born from the earth or the sky; we are born
from the womb of our mother. It is possible that differences may
arise between a mother and a son, at times. But, the mother does
not hate her son on that count and forsake him. There may be
sons who hate their mothers, but there are no mothers who hate
their sons. The mother will always aspire for the welfare of her
son. Even if they go to the court in a matter of dispute, the
mother will say "He is my son and I am his mother". They cannot
refer to each other in any other manner. The mother will always
strive for the safety, health and welfare of her children. Man,
today is undergoing several difficulties on account of ignoring
the love of such a noble mother. If you strive to win the love
of your mother, you can win the love of all other people. The
love of your mother will always be with you, constantly guarding
and guiding you in all your endeavours. Unfortunately people are
not able to realise this Truth. They think "it is enough to
provide a few morsels of food to that old lady". They are so
narrow-minded and selfish. It is a great mistake to think that
their responsibility will end by providing some food to their
mothers. The mother should always be held in high esteem and
served. She must be made to feel happy and contented.

Pundarika was a great devotee of Lord Panduranga. He always held
the view that service to the parents is of paramount importance.
One day, he was serving his parents by massaging their feet. In
order to test his love towards his parents, Lord Panduraga
appeared before him. But, Pundarika did not want to be
distracted from his attention and continued to serve his
parents. Then the Lord Panduranga enquired of him "My dear Son!
I appeared before you to give you My darshan; but you are not
looking at Me. Whom are you serving with such single-minded
devotion?" Pundarika replied that he was serving his parents.
Then, Lord Panduranga queried, "Is not God greater than the
parents? Won't you have My darshan at least for one second?"
But, Pundarika was not disturbed. He replied "My parents are
living divinities for me. I cannot have your darshan, unless I
put my parents to sleep. If you wish to give me your darshan,
you stand there on the brick till then." So saying, he pushed a
brick towards Lord Panduranga. The Lord then commended his love
and devotion towards his parents and declared "The world will
always remain safe and prosperous if all people cultivate such
love and devotion towards their parents. May such noble sons
like you proliferate in this world." From then on, great and
noble ideas of sacrifice and detachment continued to develop in
Pundarika. He spent his time happily serving his parents and
winning their love.

Putlibai was the mother of Mahatma Gandhi. She continued to
observe a vow right from her early days. She never used to take
her food in the afternoon, without hearing the singing of the
cuckoo bird. Gandhi was a child then. One day, it was already 3
o' clock in the afternoon and his mother did not take her food,
since the cuckoo did not sing. Gandhi could not bear to see his
mother hungry. He, therefore, thought of a plan. He went behind
their house and imitated the cuckoo call. Then he went into the
house and pleaded with his mother "Mother! The cuckoo sang. You
can now take your food". His mother, however, could realise that
her son was lying. She grew very angry. She caught hold of him
and slapped on his cheek twice. She could not contain her anger
and anguish. She chided him saying "it is my misfortune to have
given birth to a liar like you". Gandhi then repented for his
mischievous act and begged his mother to forgive him. He also
took a vow that he would never speak a lie thereafter in his
life. Thus, mothers in the ancient times used to teach their
children good behaviour and put them in the right path. Such
ideal mothers are very rare in present times, in the world. The
present-day mothers could always think "My son should get good
marks and ranks in the examination. He should acquire high
degrees and earn lakhs of rupees. He should rise to a high
position in his career." There are hundreds of such mothers
now-a-days. But, there is not even a single mother who teaches
her son "My dear son! You pray to God daily. Never forget God."
That is the reason why the country of Bharath is facing
innumerable difficulties. The Bharatiyas of yester years always
used to pray daily. "Oh! Rama! Krishna! Govinda!" They used to
chant the divine name incessantly. But, things have changed.
Now, there is no such contemplation on the divine name. On the
other hand worldly desires have proliferated. The culture of
Bharath always exhorts the people "Sathyam Vada" (Speak
the Truth) and "Dharmam Chara" (Follow Righteousness).
Unfortunately, today people act in contrary to such noble
ideals. They are distorting those ideals as "Sathyam Vadha"
(Kill the Truth) and "Dharmam Chera" (Imprison
Righteousness).

Once Easwaramma came to Me and requested "Swami! Several poor
mothers have come here alongwith their children. They have no
food to eat. Kindly bless them." Then I rendered them proper
help and thus fulfilled Easwaramma's wish. On another day, she
came to Me and expressed her anguish thus: "Swami! Small
children of five years' age are daily walking to Bukkapatnam and
back for attending to school. How can they study after walking a
such a long distance daily?" Then, I called their parents and
advised them "These tiny tots can learn more from their mothers
than from their teachers in a school. Instead of sending these
small children to such a long distance for education, you first
teach them what little you know. You teach them at least two or
three alphabets which you know". Later, I established a school
in Puttaparthi and fulfilled the wish of Easwaramma.

The mothers of those days, though they were innocent and
illiterate, never gave up praying to God. Love God. There is no
use wasting your time in worldly matters. We should never try to
imitate others. We must try to develop faith in the Truth that
manifests from our own heart. It is not good to develop hatred
towards other castes and religions. One should develop faith in
one's own religion and follow it diligently.

Once, when this body was a student, some political leaders
approached Me and requested "Raju! We understand that you write
good poetry. We arranged a meeting where a number of our people
are expected to participate. We request you to please write a
good song that can inspire our people." Those were the days of
the Second World War. Adolf Hitler was marching forward to
conquer various countries in Europe. He was trying to march into
Russia. India was then under the control of Britishers. Taking
the situation into account, I wrote a small playlet. In that
playlet, I kept a rubber doll in a cradle and sang the following
song rocking the cradle gently:

"Don't cry my child, don't cry
If you cry, you will not be called the valorous son of Bharath?
Did you cry because the murderer Hitler
Invaded the immortal Russia?
The Red Army and the brave Stalin
Are there to crush Hitler; don't cry
Why do you cry my child, why do you cry?
Do you cry because our people lack in unity?
All the people will unite and fight
For our freedom; don't cry.
India will certainly attain freedom
Don't cry my child, don't cry?"

The mothers of those days used to sing such inspiring patriotic
songs and teach their children good things. They used to mould
their character to make them as heroes of the country. There
used to be no scope at all for untruth in their talk. By their
truthful words, they used to train their children in the path of
truth.

Once, the village of Puttaparthi was affected by infectious
diseases like cholera and plague. Several people died on account
of these diseases. Then, I warned the children in the village
that these diseases will spread through drinking polluted water
and eating impure food and therefore they should take proper
care in this regard.

I exhorted them "Purify the water and then drink. You eat only
clean and wholesome food, though in small quantities. Not only
that, keep your mouth always fresh and clean. Several diseases
will affect you due to unclean mouth. It is not good for you to
eat anything that you come across, when you feel hungry. Whether
it is for keeping good health or happiness, God's grace is
important. Hence, always pray to God." Happiness can be attained
only through constant contemplation on God; nothing else. It is
not something that can be attained by external objects. It can
only spring from one's own heart. In order that we may attain
good health and happiness, we must constantly contemplate on God
and thereby sanctify our time.

It is only the parents who led ideal lives that nourished and
nurtured our country of Bharath, since ancient times.
Unfortunately, today you do not find sons who obey their
parents. The youth of today brush aside their parents' words as
insane talk and ignore them. This is not correct. They are not
insane words; they are verily truthful words spoken from the
depth of their hearts. God will certainly hear the prayers said
with purity of consciousness and shower His Grace on such
people. Hence, one should always pray to God in whichever form
one likes and sanctify one's life by the grace of God. Since
ancient times, the women of Bharath offered such prayers to God,
in all sincerity and devotion. That is the reason why the
country of Bharath could attain great heights.

Embodiments of love!
If you wish that you or the children to be born to you must be
sacred, constantly contemplate on God. It is only when the
parents lead a good and noble life, their children will be good
and noble. Hence, the parents must be good, in the first
instance. Unfortunately, today the parents are unable to set an
example to their children, with the result, the children are
taking to bad ways. Such sacred teachings have become extinct in
the country of Bharath, today. The mothers in ancient India used
to teach good things and good habits to their children thus:

Get up early in the morning at the crowing of the cock,
Have a bath after your morning ablutions,
Wear a proper dress.
Eat properly and moderately.
Go to school and study diligently.
Earn a good name.
Don't move out when it is raining,
And never go near the ditches.
Take part in games,
Run and play.
If you abide by all these rules,
You will have both health and wealth. (Telugu Poem)
Get up early in the morning at the crowing of the cock,
Have a bath after your morning ablutions,
Wear a proper dress.
Eat properly and moderately.
Go to school and study diligently.
Earn a good name.
Don't move out when it is raining,
And never go near the ditches.
Take part in games,
Run and play.
If you abide by all these rules,
You will have both health and wealth. (Telugu Poem)

Both the elders as well as the children are not brushing their
teeth properly, today. That is why all sorts of diseases are
spreading from ourselves only. For both, good and bad, we only
are responsible. They do not come of their own accord. When we
cultivate sacred feelings in us, we will be rewarded with good
results. If sacred feelings are to take root in us, we have to
cultivate good habits.

"Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better
still is meditation. But, better than meditation is surrender of
the fruit of all actions. For, such renunciation of the fruit of
all actions would indeed result in liberation." (Gita ? Ch.12 ?
Sloka 12)

Right from early morning till we go to bed, if we are engaged in
good activities, that itself will automatically become a
practice. In fact, the country needs such youth. Who are youth?
People generally think that boys and girls aged between 18 and
20 years constitute youth. This is not correct. It is only
people with noble thoughts, who can be considered as youth.
Hence, one must cultivate noble thoughts. As soon as you get up,
your first action shall be chanting the divine name "Rama!
Krishna! Govinda!" Again, before you go to bed, you must chant
the divine name. When you do such chanting of the divine name,
you will always have good thoughts. Unfortunately, today people
totally forget chanting of the divine name. People think that
they are highly educated and have high degrees, but they will
not enable you to tread the right path. Education that will not
develop enquiry into one's own self is not education at all! It
will only lead to agitation! Mere book reading does not
constitute education. Book reading will contribute only to
acquiring bookish knowledge. That is artificial knowledge. Real
knowledge comes out of the heart. When the young men and women
realise and propagate this Truth, the country will progress in
all directions.

Embodiments of Love!
Do not waste your time in reading voluminous books, thinking
that such books will help you in acquiring great knowledge. One
should read such books which will help in the contemplation on
the divine name. Do not be satisfied with acquiring mere bookish
knowledge. Such knowledge is only a superficial knowledge. What
you need really is the knowledge of Self. Strive to acquire that
knowledge. It manifests from within. It cannot be acquired from
external sources. Is it not a fact that the more you dig in the
river bed, the more the water that comes out of the sand!
Similarly, the more you remove the bad thoughts in you, the more
the sacred knowledge and sacred thoughts manifest in you.
Purity, Steadiness, Wisdom and such other noble qualities
manifest only from one's own heart. First and foremost you have
to cultivate sacred and noble thoughts. But, you need not give
credence to all such talk. You have to always tread the sacred
path.

The mothers in the ancient times used to teach their children
such sacred things. That is why the children of those days used
to engage themselves in constant contemplation on God, with the
result, the country was constantly protected by God. It is not
the body that is important for us, it is the thought and the
feelings. Several people question "Where is God?" I tell such
people "My dear! I am God; you are also God". This is the Truth.
Why should we be afraid of speaking this Truth? God is
omnipresent. All are embodiments of God! There is divinity in
every human being. If not, we cannot live in this world. It is
only because of our faith in God, we have been able to survive
in this world till today. A small story to illustrate the point:
There used to be a husband and wife in a village. The wife was
constantly chanting the divine name "Rama! Krishna! Govinda!"
and worshipping God daily. The husband, however, was not doing
any worship or contemplation on God. But, he used to attend to
his daily chores. The wife used to feel "Alas! My husband is not
chanting the divine name atleast once in a day". One night, the
husband could not get sleep and was turning this side and that
side on the bed restlessly. At that time, he casually said
"Rama!" His wife was overjoyed on hearing the divine name coming
out of the mouth of her husband, though unintentionally. The
next day, as soon as she got up from her bed, she collected all
the rice available in the house, cooked it and fed the poor
people, in jubilation. The husband who was observing this
feeding of the poor, enquired her "What is the matter! You are
cooking and feeding the poor today. What is the special
occasion?" The wife replied. "Yesterday night, I heard the
divine name of 'Rama!' emerging from your mouth. My heart
overflowed with joy on hearing the divine name from your mouth.
Hence, this celebration". On hearing his wife's reply, the
husband felt sorry and thought to himself "Alas! I have
installed Rama in my heart and worshipped him there all the
while. Has my Rama gone out from my heart today?" Several people
do not give expression to their love and devotion to God. They
keep their devotion to themselves. However, one day or the other
it manifests outside.

Embodiments of Love! Contemplate on the divine name,
irrespective of the religion, caste, creed or sex. You can
always chant the divine name of your liking. The mother of
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa taught her son good things and shaped
him into a great yogi. All the mothers should take her as an
example and strive to put their children in the right path. If
you constantly contemplate on and chant the divine name, that
itself will purify your thoughts and feelings. Never forget the
divine name. If you constantly contemplate on the divine name,
your life will surely be sanctified. Embodiments of Love! You,
therefore, contemplate on the divine name constantly.